BUD, NOT BUDDY
By
REGINALD ANDRÉ JACKSON
Adapted from the novel
by
CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS
Dramatic Publishing
Woodstock, Illinois • England • Australia • New Zealand
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
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©MMIX by
REGINALD ANDRÉ JACKSON
Adapted from the novel by
CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS
Printed in the United States of America
All Rights Reserved
(BUD, NOT BUDDY)
ISBN: 978-1-58342-621-0
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
IMPORTANT BILLING AND CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
All producers of the play must give credit to Christopher Paul Curtis as
author of the book and Reginald André Jackson as dramatizer of the play
in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the play
and in all instances in which the title of the play appears for purposes of
advertising, publicizing or otherwise exploiting the play and/or a production. The names of Christopher Paul Curtis and Reginald André Jackson
must also appear on a separate line, on which no other name appears, immediately following the title, and must appear in size of type not less than
fifty percent (50%) the size of the title type. Biographical information on
Christopher Paul Curtis and Reginald André Jackson, if included in the
playbook, may be used in all programs. In all programs this notice must
appear:
“Produced by special arrangement with
THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois”
In addition, all producers of the play must include the following acknowledgment on the title page of all programs distributed in connection with
performances of the play and on all advertising and promotional materials:
“First commissioned and developed in the ‘Book-It Style™’ by
Book-It Repertory Theatre, founded in 1990, Seattle,
Washington, www.book-it.org. Transforming great literature
into great theatre through simple and sensitive production
and inspiring audiences to read.”
****
A workshop of Bud, Not Buddy opened on January 14, 2006,
at Book-It Repertory Theatre with the following cast:
Bud (not Buddy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earl Alexander
Mr. Jimmy, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. Sterling Beard
Herman E. Calloway . . . . . . . . . . . . Frederick Charles Canada
Librarian, Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margaret Philips Carter
Momma, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rebecca M. Davis
Bugs, Steady Eddie, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . Anthony Leroy Fuller
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© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Miss Thomas, Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demene E. Hall
Lefty Lewis, Doo-Doo-Bug, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . Cecil Luellen
Doug the Thug, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lance McQueen
Deza Malone, Young Momma, Ensemble . . . Shermona Mitchell
Dirty Deed, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Place
Director: Mark Jared Zufelt
Bud, Not Buddy received its world premiere on December 1,
2006, at Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, Wash., with the
following cast:
Bud (not Buddy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earl Alexander
Mr. Jimmy, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Williams
Herman E. Calloway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Hall Jr.
Librarian, Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natasha Sims
Momma, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Binta
Bugs, Steady Eddie, Ensemble . . . . . . . Brandon Boyd Simmons
Miss Thomas, Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demene E. Hall
Lefty Lewis, Doo-Doo-Bug, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . Cecil Luellen
Billy, Toddy, Doug the Thug, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . Stan Shields
Deza Malone, Young Momma, Ensemble . . . Shermona Mitchell
Dirty Deed, Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Ulman
Director: Mark Jared Zufelt
Bud, Not Buddy opened on Jan u ary 15, 2008, at the
Children’s Theatre Company, in Minneapolis, Minn., under the
direction of Marion McClinton,
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© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Approaching Bud, Not Buddy
This play has been written in the Book-It style. This allows
the play to be supported by actual narrative from the novel.
This narrative is most effective when treated as dialogue.
Example. Bud has the line.
The whole room smelled like eraser and it felt like something had poked the back of my eyeball.
Instead of staring out at the audience, a plausible way to
deliver this line is to think:
Wow, this room smells like…like, is that eraser— Ow, ow,
ow! What happened to my eye?
Bud, as our guide has several asides to the audience, as
does the Announcer. Bugs speaks to the audience when he
explains where his name comes from and when he’s looking for the train. The entire ensemble addresses the audience as they become trees. Other than these moments the
narrative is to be treated as in-the-moment dialogue, designed to keep the action moving (not to replace it).
Scenic Elements
I believe it is best to approach the staging of this play in
much the same way Shakespeare tackled his plays.
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© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
“Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them,
Printing their proud hoofs i’ the receiving earth;
For ’tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there, jumping o’er times…”
There is no actual car. A hat stand can be a tree. Bud must
visit several locations; many only once. A simplistic indication of place and time augmented by lights and sound is
best. This allows scenes to dovetail on one another, eliminating cumbersome scene changes.
There are several opportunities for heightened theatricality,
particularly in the first act. The more we can externalize
Bud’s imagination the better. In the second act, Bud’s need
to use his imagination for survival decreases dramatically.
The few moments he has in that act, Herman as the Big
Bad Wolf, recalling the lifeguard, can still be as large as
the vampire in the first act.
Music note
The few lyrics used (bottom of page 82) are from “You’d
Be So Nice to Come Home To.” So as not to restrict any
production for material that may not be in the public domain, I support a musical director’s choice to substitute so
long as the song reflects in some way a coming together or
a coming home.
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© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
BUD, NOT BUDDY
CHARACTER ROLES
BUD, 10
BILLY, 12 or 13
BUGS, 10
CASEWORKER, 30s/40s
MOMMA, 26
JERRY, 6
BARKER, any age
YOUNG MR. CALLOWAY, 30s
MR. AMOS, 30s
DEZA’S DAD, 30s
DEZA’S MOM, 30s
DEZA, 11
JAKE, 30s
POLICE OFFICER, 30s
LEFTY, 40s/50s
COP, 30s
DOO-DOO-BUG, 30s
HERMAN E. CALLOWAY, 40s/50,
(bald, big belly)
DIRTY DEED, 30s
DOUG THE THUG, 30s
JIMMY, 40s
STEADY EDDIE, 30s
MISS THOMAS, 30s/40s
TYLA, 20s/30s
LIFEGUARD, any age
MRS. AMOS, 30s
TODD AMOS, 12
ANNOUNCER, any age
VAMPIRE, any age
YOUNG MOMMA, 10
HORSE (nonspeaking), any age
LIBRARIAN, 30s/40s
POSSIBLE DOUBLING
Bud
Ensemble #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billy, Doug the Thug
Ensemble #2 . . . . . . . Bugs, Young Mr. Calloway, Todd Amos,
Steady Eddie
Ensemble #3 . . . . . . . . . Caseworker, Mrs. Amos, Deza’s Mom,
Miss Thomas
Ensemble #4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Momma
Ensemble #5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry, Deza’s Dad, Jimmy
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© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Ensemble #6. . . Barker, Mr. Amos, Horse, Lefty, Doo-Doo-Bug
Ensemble #7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . *Announcer, Vampire, Jake, Cop,
Dirty Deed, Lifeguard
Ensemble #8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Young Momma, Deza, Tyla
*Ensemble #9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Librarian, Police Officer
Ensemble #10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Herman E. Calloway
All actors save the ones playing Bud and Herman E. Calloway
should be considered as cast. They play the breathers, animals
and numbered characters.
All lines and characters should be distributed to suit the strengths
of the production at hand. The doubling assignments above are
just an example.
Ensemble #7: The roles of Jake, Cop and Dirty Deed should be
portrayed by a white male.
*Announcer: The Announcer lines can be divvied amongst the
Ensemble or played by the same actor as Dirty Deed.
*Ensemble #9: These roles can be played by a white female, or
Ensemble #9 can be omitted. To do so one could have the white
male play the Librarian and have a black male actor play Police
Officer. The officer is just muscle for hire, employed by the
Pinkertons. I have no idea whether a black actor in this role
would confuse an audience, or if his subsequent resignation
would be more effecting.
8
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
ACT ONE
Scene 1
(A group of boys attack the stage. Some play at marbles
and jacks, others roughhouse. Standing in a pool of light
we find BUD CALDWELL. He places his suitcase on the
ground and opens it. He addresses the audience.)
BUD. Most kids in the home keep their things in a paper or
cloth sack, but not me.
#1. Bud has his own suitcase.
BUD. Of treasures. (Of five flyers, he takes out the only
blue one. He regards it with great reverence.) The paper’s starting to wear out but I like checking to see if
there’s anything I hadn’t noticed before.
BILLY. The boys at the home were getting their nightly
teasing from the biggest bully there was.
ALL. Billy Burns.
BILLY. I don’t even belong to this place and it ain’t going
to be long before my momma comes and gets me out.
BUGS. Billy, your momma must have a real bad rememory. Seems like since she was the one what dropped
you off here she’d’ve remembered where she left you by
now.
BILLY. Well, well, well, look at who piped up, Mr. Bugs.
I wouldn’t expect a little ignorant roach-head like you to
know nothing about folks coming back here to get you
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© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
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BUD, NOT BUDDY
Act I
out. Any fool you see walking down the street could be
them. Seven little boys in this room and not a one of
y’all knows who your folks is.
BUD. That’s not true, I know who my momma is, I lived
with her for six years.
BILLY. And what about your old man? How many years
you live with him? I got a nickel here and you know
what it says? (BILLY holds the nickel up, moves it like a
puppeteer and speaks in his best buffalo voice.) Billy,
my man, go ahead and bet this little no-momma fool he
don’t know who his daddy is, then I’d have another
nickel to bang around in your pocket with.
BUD. You owe me a nickel, my daddy plays a giant fiddle
and his name is Herman E. Calloway— (The boys erupt
in an explosion of laughter.) And with those words that I
didn’t even mean to say a little seed of a idea started
growing.
(A CASEWORKER enters. The whip has been cracked.
Children form a line facing downstage. The WORKER
deliberately walks the line.)
BUD. Uh-oh, here we go again. (CASEWORKER stops.)
Shoot! She stopped at me.
CASEWORKER. Are you Buddy Caldwell?
(Lights up on MOMMA.)
MOMMA. Bud is your name and don’t you ever let anyone
call you anything outside that either. Especially don’t
you ever let anyone call you Buddy.
BUD. Yes, Momma.
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Act I
BUD, NOT BUDDY
11
MOMMA. Don’t you worry. (Lights out on MOMMA. She
exits.)
BUD. It’s Bud, not Buddy, ma’am.
CASEWORKER (grabs another child). Aren’t you Jerry
Clark? Boys, good news! You both have been accepted
in new temporary-care homes starting this afternoon!
JERRY. Together?
CASEWORKER. Why, no. Jerry, you’ll be in a family
with three little girls…
BUD. Jerry looked like—
JERRY. He’d just found out they were going to dip him in
a pot of boiling milk.
CASEWORKER. And Bud, you’ll be with Mr. and Mrs.
Amos and their son who’s twelve years old. That makes
him just two years older than you, doesn’t it, Bud?
BUD. Yes, ma’am.
CASEWORKER. Now, now, boys, no need to look so
glum. There’s a depression going on, people can’t find
jobs and we’ve been lucky enough to find two wonderful families who’ve opened their doors for you. Gather
your things. (She exits.)
BUD. Here we go again. This was the third foster home I
was going to, but it still surprises me when my nose gets
all runny and my throat gets all choky and my eyes get
all sting-y. But the tears coming out doesn’t happen.
JERRY. Jerry sat on his bed.
BUD. I could tell that he was losing the fight not to cry.
JERRY. Tears were popping out of his eyes and slipping
down his cheeks.
BUD. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jerry. Six is a real
rough age to be at. Most folks think you start to be an
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
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BUD, NOT BUDDY
Act I
adult when you’re fifteen or sixteen years old, but it really starts when you’re around six.
JERRY. It’s around six that grown folks stop giving you
little swats and taps and jump clean up to giving you
slugs that’ll have you seeing stars in the middle of the
day.
BUD. The first foster home I was in taught me that real
quick.
JERRY. They expect you to know everything they mean.
It’s around six that your teeth start coming a-loose in
your mouth. Unless you’re as stupid as a lamppost
you’ve got to wonder what’s coming off next, your arm?
Your leg? Your neck? Every morning it seems a lot of
your parts aren’t stuck on as good as they use to be.
BUD. Three girls sounds terrible, Jerry, but the worst thing
that’s going to happen is that they’re going to make you
play house a lot. They’ll probably make you be the baby
and do this kind of junk to you. (Tickles him.) Ga-ga
goo-goo, baby-waby. You’re going to be great. (BUD
crosses downstage and addresses the audience.) Six is
real tough. That’s how old I was when I knocked on
Momma’s bedroom door… (Door opens. Sound of sirens. Flashing of lights.) Then found her. (BUD plops
down on his suitcase and examines his blue flyer.)
Something was telling me there was a message for me
on this flyer, but I didn’t have the decoder ring.
(A man [BARKER] is revealed standing on a street corner passing out flyers. His face is obscured. As he
speaks a spotlight appears; standing in it is YOUNG
MR. CALLOWAY playing a bass.)
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Act I
BUD, NOT BUDDY
13
BARKER. Limited engagement. Direct from an S.R.O. engagement in New York City—Herman E. Calloway and
the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!
YOUNG MR. CALLOWAY. In the middle of the flyer
was a blurry picture of a man.
BUD. I’ve never met him, but I have a pretty good feeling
that this guy must be my father. Underneath the picture
someone had writ—
BARKER. One night only in Flint, Mich i gan, at the
luxurious Fifty Grand on Saturday June 16th, 1932. Nine
until—
(MOMMA enters and takes a flyer from the BARKER.
She crosses in to BUD.)
BUD. I remember Momma bringing this flyer with her
when she came from working one day.
MOMMA. She got very upset.
BUD. I couldn’t understand, she kept four others that were
a lot like it. (BUD sits struggling to decode the flyer.)
MOMMA. But this one got her really jumpy. (Exits.)
(Lights shift.)
BUD. The only difference I could see was that the others
didn’t say anything about Flint on them.
(Lights shift as we are introduced to the AMOSES. MR.
and MRS. and TODD AMOS stand next to a bed. MRS.
AMOS waves BUD over. He turns back to the audience
and speaks.)
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
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BUD, NOT BUDDY
Act I
BUD. Here we go again. (BUD crosses to the bed and
climbs in. The AMOSES exit turning out the light.)
Scene 2
(TODD AMOS re-enters BUD’s new room. He is carrying a long yellow pencil. He stops at BUD’s head and
bends over his face. BUD squirms. TODD turns facing
downstage holding the pencil like a thermometer. He
wears a robe, slippers and a gigantic smile.)
BUD. It felt like a steam locomotive had jumped the tracks
and chug-chug-chugged its way straight into my nose.
TODD. Wow! You got all the way up to R! (TODD shows
BUD the writing on his pencil.)
BUD. Ticonderoga? The whole room smelled like eraser
and it felt like something had poked the back of my eyeball.
TODD. I’ve never gotten it in as deep as the N on any of
you other little street urchins. I just might enjoy your
stay here, Buddy?
BUD. I wasn’t about to let anybody call me Buddy and
stick a pencil up my nose.
TODD. All the way to the R.
BUD. My fist came open and when it landed it made a pop
like a .22 rifle going off.
(A huge smile appears on TODD’s face as he slowly undoes his robe and lets it fall to the ground. BUD throws
himself off the bed fists up, as we hear the opening bell
to a title fight. They dance around each other.)
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Act I
BUD, NOT BUDDY
15
BUD. He could kiss my wrist if he thought I was going to
let him whip me up without a good fight. Being this
brave. (TODD punches him square on the nose.)
TODD. Was kind of stupid. (TODD proceeds to whip BUD
up without a good fight.) Even though Todd— (Punch.)
BUD. Was a puffy, rich old mama’s boy— (BUD ducks)
who wore a robe and slippers.
TODD. He could hit like a mule. (Punch. BUD drops to
the floor in a ball.)
BUD. There comes a time when you’re losing a fight that
it just doesn’t make sense to keep fighting. It’s not that
you’re being a quitter, it’s just that you’ve got the sense
to know when enough is enough.
(MRS. AMOS enters. TODD kicks BUD repeatedly.
Upon seeing his mom, he falls to his knees, and grabs
his throat. He begins to wheeze heavily.)
MRS. AMOS. Toddy? Toddy boy? You little cur, what
have you done to Toddy?
TODD (breath labored). Oh, Mother…I was only trying to
help…and…and look what it’s gotten me. (TODD points
to his cheek.)
MRS. AMOS. How dare you! Not only have you struck
him, you have provoked his asthma!
TODD. I just tried to waken him to make sure he’d gone to
the lav a tory, Mother. Look at him, this one’s got
“bed-wetter” written all over him.
MRS. AMOS. Mrs. Amos hated bed-wetters more than
anything in the world.
BUD. I’m not bragging when I say that I’m one of the best
liars in the world; Todd was pretty doggone good. He
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BUD, NOT BUDDY
Act I
knew some of the same rules and things I know. Shucks,
I’ve got so many of them rememorized that I had to give
them numbers, and it seemed like Todd knew number 3
of…
(Fanfare.)
ANNOUNCER. Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of
Yourself. Rules and Things Number 3—
BUD. If you got to tell a lie, make sure it’s simple and
easy to remember.
TODD. Todd had done that.
MRS. AMOS. You beastly little brute, I will not tolerate
even one night of you under my roof.
(MR. AMOS enters.)
MRS. AMOS. Lord knows I have been stung by my own
people before. I do not have time to put up with the
foolishness of those members of our race who do not
want to be uplifted. In the morning I’ll be getting in
touch with the home and, much as a bad penny, you
shall return to them. Mr. Amos will show you to the
shed. (BUD reaches for his suitcase.) Oh, no, we shall
hold on to his beloved valuables. Apologize or I shall be
forced to give you the strapping of your life. (MRS.
AMOS raises her hand. She is holding a belt.)
BUD. I’d apologize. One beating from these Amoses was
enough for me.
MRS. AMOS. Well?
BUD. I started shooting apologies out.
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Act I
BUD, NOT BUDDY
17
TODD. Like John Dillinger shoots out bullets.
BUD. It was wrong to hit you. I know you were only trying to help. (To MR. AMOS.) And sir, I’m sorry I got
you out of your sleep.
(MRS. AMOS begins swatting the inside of her palm
with the belt.)
MRS. AMOS. Mrs. Amos?
BUD. Was going to be the hardest— I’m so grateful for all
of your help. And I’m really, really sorry… I could
see—
MRS. AMOS. She needed more.
BUD. Please don’t send me back— I was being just like
Brer Rabbit, when he yelled out, “Please, Brer Fox,
don’t throw me in the pricker patch.” This was…
(Fanfare.)
ANNOUNCER. Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things to Make
a Better Liar of Yourself. Number 118—
BUD. You have to give adults something that they think
they can use to hurt you by taking it away. That way
they might not take something away that you really
do want.
MRS. AMOS. Enough. Put him in the shed. (MRS. AMOS
exits.)
(MR. AMOS leaves to fetch BUD’s linen. TODD’s
asthma vanishes.)
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
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BUD, NOT BUDDY
Act I
TODD. Buddy, keep a sharp eye out for the vampire bats.
Oh, and watch out for those spiders and centipedes,
Buddy.
BUD. I remember what happened to my best friend, Bugs.
(Lights up on BUGS. He is lying down, tugging, picking
and fussing at his ear.)
BUGS. When a cockroach crawled in his ear one night at
the home!
(ENSEMBLE MEMBERS 1, 3 and 4 converge on BUGS.)
#4. Four grown folks had held Bugs down—
#1. Whilst they tried to pull it out with a pair of tweezers.
#3. But the only thing that that did was pull the roaches
back legs off. (BUGS screams.)
BUD. You’d have thought they were pulling his legs off,
not some cockroach’s!!
#3. They were going to have to take him to the emergency
room to get the roach out.
(Shift. 1, 3 and 4 exit. BUGS steps toward BUD.)
BUD. It was almost morning when Bugs got back. Did
they get it out?
BUGS. Oh, hi, Bud. Yeah, they got him.
BUD. Did it hurt a lot?
BUGS. Nope.
BUD. Were you scared?
BUGS. Nope.
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
Act I
BUD, NOT BUDDY
19
BUD. Then how come you were screaming so doggone
loud?
BUGS. I didn’t know I was, I probably couldn’t hear me
screaming ’cause that roach was so loud.
BUD. I’ve seen lots of roaches but I’ve never heard one of
them make any sound.
BUGS. Well, bugs ain’t so different from us as you’d
think; soon as he saw those tweezers coming he commenced to screaming, screaming in English too, not
some bug language like you’d expect from a roach.
BUD. Yeah? What’d he say?
BUGS. All he kept yelling was, “My legs! My legs! Why
have they done this to my legs?” (BUGS faces the audience.) That’s the true story about how Bugs started getting called Bugs. (BUGS bows and exits.)
(BUD looks at TODD. MR. AMOS grabs BUD by the
arm.)
TODD. The last kid who got put in there got stung so bad
he was swole up as big as a whale. The kid before that
hasn’t been found to this day. All that’s left is that big
puddle of his blood on the floor.
(MR. AMOS guides BUD toward the kitchen door. BUD
stops in his tracks.)
BUD. There was a double-barreled shotgun leaning against
the side of the icebox. (BUD spies his suitcase. He
reaches for it. MR. AMOS pulls him back.) My suitcase!
(MR. AMOS drags BUD the rest of the way outside.)
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.
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BUD, NOT BUDDY
Act I
MR. AMOS. Into the dark. (MR. AMOS hands BUD the
blanket and pillow and nudges BUD inside.)
BUD. If I was like a normal kid I would’ve bust out crying. There was a big black stain in the dirt! They really
were going to make me sleep in a shed with a patch of
blood from that kid who had disappeared out of here a
couple weeks ago!
© Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.